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Thanks, Jill--Very glad to hear what you made of the article and hope others elsewhere in Australia post responses as well. And, not to worry--I never take anything as gospel (including the Gospels). On the other hand, I was struck during my 1999 visit by the intercity rivalry among the poets I met, first in Hobart (where Sydney was grudgingly acknowledged as on the map, while Melbourne was trashed), then in Melbourne (where Sydney was spoken of as everything that was wrong with OZ poetry, while Hobart was dismissed as an inbreeding ground--"Did you notice how everyone there even looks alike?" a Melbourne poet asked me, to my astonishment!)--Candice > Candice, > > I would be very careful of taking opinion as gospel. To take just one > instance - there are some poets to whom I've spoken recently in Sydney who > are puzzled and bemused by much of the above article - indeed would love to > know, for instance, who the 'Sydney group of poets' referred to in said > article actually is. All of us, who in many ways are like chalk and cheese, > except we happen to be friends, knew that we weren't in this group (did we > look worried - I don't think so) and apart from the 'names' that were > mentioned in the article couldn't actually think of a particular 'group' of > Sydney poets. (Yes, there are organisations but a group? Are we talking The > Movement here? > > There are, mind you, an awful lot of poets in Sydney as there are elsewhere, > there are readings, there are friendships (and old scores) of an > intellectual, sexual and collegial nature. And, nup, we don't feel > 'cornered' - we write, we meet up and talk/argue, some of us organise > events/launches, some of us work or have worked in the arts bureaucracies or > have been office bearers in poetry groups, some of us have been in small > press publishing. Perhaps because we don't get 'named' we can just get on > with it and agree to disagree with each other about what 'it' is. I wouldn't > think there's anything special about this - I'm sure it happens everywhere. > > But there are always many versions of the so-called poetry scene anywhere, > including Australia, and one insider's version will differ from the next > insider as that will differ to that of the outsider. But *none* should be > taken as gospel. Even my reporting is just from an odd assortment of poets - > but we have been round for a long time here so we might just know something, > or at least as much as the next person. All grist for the mill. I wonder > what poets from other states in Australia may have made of all this. > > Cheers, > Jill